This invention relates to a printer, such as an ink jet printer, which uses solid ink pellets loaded into a reservoir, and melts the pellets as needed to provide ink. Solid ink pellets are easier to handle and less likely to spill and stain an operator or the surrounding environment than are liquid or powder forms of ink.
It is known to put solid ink pellets within a holder or cartridge to prevent the pellet from contacting the operator or surrounding surfaces, and to prevent contaminating the pellet with foreign material. Pellets are then transferred from the cartridge into a reservoir, where the pellet can be melted to provide liquid ink as needed by the printer. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,339 to DeYoung et al. shows a cartridge for retaining a pellet until the cartridge is inserted into a receiving means and rotated to release the pellet. This cartridge uses retractable retaining fingers formed on a retaining ring to hold the pellet within the cartridge. This cartridge requires detailed mechanical assembly and close mechanical tolerances between its parts for its rotating and retracting operation. A simpler cartridge and release mechanism is desired.